Ice-and-water dispenser

ABSTRACT

An ice-and-water dispenser to be integrated into a refrigeration appliance includes a main subassembly having a dispenser bay, a passage for ice, a water outlet and a switch to be actuated by an object held in the dispenser bay. A decorative element which contributes to or determines the appearance of the ice-and-water dispenser in a mounted state, can be mounted on the main subassembly in various models. A refrigeration appliance including an ice-and-water dispenser is also provided.

The present invention relates to an ice-and-water dispenser to be integrated into a refrigeration appliance, in particular a household refrigeration appliance.

Numerous designs are known of dispensers that are integrated into a wall or door of a refrigeration appliance, in order to dispense ice or chilled water stored or produced inside the refrigeration appliance, without any need to open the door for this. Since they are generally attached to the refrigeration device in a prominent position, they determine the overall aesthetic appearance of the refrigeration appliance to a significant extent. If refrigeration appliances are to be manufactured in different model lines which differ in their design features, these different design features must also be reflected in the dispensers. If however different models of dispensers have to be manufactured for each of the said different model lines, the consequence is that dispensers are deployed more rarely in low-cost model lines than in high-cost model lines, such that manufacture in small series makes the ice-and-water dispenser disproportionately expensive in particular for low-cost model lines.

The object of the present invention is to remedy this problem.

The object is achieved by an ice-and-water dispenser for integration into a refrigeration appliance, having a main subassembly that includes a dispenser bay, where appropriate a passage for ice, a water outlet, and a switch that is to be actuated by an object held in the dispenser bay, and at least one decorative element which in different models can be mounted on the main subassembly and in the mounted state contributes to the appearance of the ice-and-water dispenser, either by itself being visible to an observer or by affecting the conspicuousness of other components by lighting. The main subassembly can be manufactured uniformly in large volumes for multiple model lines, such that the cost per unit is low; inexpensive adaptation to a specific model line is then possible by means of the at least one decorative element.

The decorative element is preferably detachably mounted, so that it can be removed by the user subsequently. Such a possibility of subsequent removal firstly makes it easier to keep the ice-and-water dispenser clean, and secondly a selection of models of the decorative element can also be supplied to the user in each case with the refrigeration appliance, such that users can select and mount one according to their personal taste.

One such decorative element that can be mounted in different models is a drip tray, which usually is arranged on the floor of the dispenser bay to catch drips from the water outlet or the passage for ice. A replaceable drip tray cover can also be designed for each specific model line.

Usually an ice-and-water dispenser has an actuating paddle, against which a container to be filled which is held in the dispenser bay can be pressed, in order to actuate the switch and thereby to open the passage for ice or the water outlet. Since this type of actuating paddle is not part of the main subassembly, it can be mounted thereon subsequently, and, by providing different models of the actuating paddle the appearance of the ice-and-water dispenser can be varied.

Another possible decorative element is an outlet nozzle of the passage for ice. While the passage for ice itself is generally arranged directly on the ceiling of the dispenser bay such that it is not visible to a user looking at the refrigeration appliance from the front, the outlet nozzle can expediently protrude into the dispenser bay so as to be readily visible, in order to make it easier for the user to place a container in the correct position to catch the ice being dispensed.

Another decorative element can be an interior wall surface of the dispenser bay. Such an interior wall surface can be a self-supporting wall plate or even an interior lining extending over several sides of the bay, but it can also be a thin-wall cladding of such a wall or a foil covering.

Possible variations specific to model lines also emerge from different models of lamp units that can be mounted in the same main subassembly or merely of shades that cover the lamps of the lamp unit(s).

To enable decorative parts specific to model lines to be mounted in the dispenser bay of the manufactured main subassembly, the latter should be wide open at the front. An opening which is larger than is necessary in operation can be reduced in size by a shutter; this too can in each case be designed to be specific to a model line.

Further features and advantages of the invention will emerge from the description of exemplary embodiments provided below, with reference to the attached figures, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a schematic cross-section through a main subassembly;

FIG. 2 shows a first model of a lamp unit in a view from below;

FIG. 3 shows a view of a second model of a lamp unit;

FIG. 4 shows the integration of the lamp unit into the main subassembly;

FIG. 5 shows the integration of an interior lining in the dispenser bay;

FIG. 6 shows the attachment of an actuation paddle;

FIG. 7 shows a section through a top part of the ice-and-water dispenser with appended shutter; and

FIG. 8 shows a section through the bottom part of the ice-and-water dispenser with inserted drip tray.

FIG. 1 shows a schematic cross-section of a main subassembly 1 of an inventive ice-and-water dispenser. An approximately cuboidal one- or multi-part injection-molded housing 2 made of plastic is open on a front side, in order to form a dispenser bay 14. The open front is bordered by a frame 3 which in each case projects outward over a ceiling 4, a floor 5 and side walls 6 of the housing 1. On the ceiling 4 a part of the frame 3 can, as shown, also project downward over a part of the open front side of the dispenser bay 14 so as to close it, in order to cover components arranged on the ceiling 4. Said components here include a passage for ice 7, a water line 8 with an outlet 9, a switch 10 and a plug-in connector 11. The switch 10 has a rod-shaped actuation section 12 which can be deflected toward a rear wall 13 of the housing 1 in order to close the switch 10. The operating mode of the ice-and-water dispenser can be adjusted in a manner known per se on an operating panel not shown in the figures. Depending on the operating mode set the switch controls a shutoff valve (not shown) on the water line 8 or an ice conveyance mechanism (not shown), possibly in connection with a crusher.

The shutoff valve can be attached to the housing 1; preferably it is located directly at the outlet of a tank which is accommodated in the interior of the refrigeration appliance or in a heat-insulating wall of the refrigeration appliance.

The ice conveyance mechanism and if applicable the crusher are components of an automatic ice-maker which is arranged in the interior of the refrigeration appliance and is known per se, and so is not illustrated in detail here.

FIG. 2 schematically shows a view from below of a lamp unit 15 which is provided for integration into the dispenser bay 14 delimited by the housing 1 in FIG. 1. A baseplate 16 of the lamp unit 15 is here essentially rectangular with edge lengths which correspond to the widths of the side walls and rear wall of the housing 1. A cutout 17 in the baseplate 16 faces the rear wall 13 in the mounted state, in order to accommodate the switch 10, the passage for ice 7 and the outlet 9 of the water line 8. Light sources, in particular LEDs 18, can be distributed in different arrangements on the baseplate 16. FIG. 2 shows five LEDs 18, but in alternative embodiments possibly only two LEDs are present at the front corners of the baseplate 16 or a single LED at the tip of the cutout 17.

Even if only a single model of baseplate 16 is to be used, there are nevertheless opportunities for varying the appearance of the lamp unit 15, by using different types of shade 19 (see FIG. 3). Different models of shades 19 can differ in the materials used, their coloring, their external contour and the arrangement of refractive surfaces and the consequent light distribution in the dispenser bay 14.

Depending on the design the lamp units 15 can be fixed in the housing 1 in different ways. FIG. 4 shows purely by way of example a configuration in which a rear edge of the baseplate 16 abuts a fin 20 projecting from the rear wall 13 and a front part of the baseplate 16 carries contact pins 21 which, if the baseplate 16 is pressed from below onto the plug-in connector 11, engages in its bushings and thus anchors the baseplate 16 in a friction-fit manner.

FIG. 5 shows the main subassembly with a premounted lamp unit 15 and a bay cladding 22 which is inserted into the housing 1 via the open front side, but has not yet reached its final position. In the premounted state the bay cladding 22 covers the rear wall 13 and the side walls of the housing 1 as far as the fin 20 and the floor 5. In the embodiment shown here the bay cladding 22 comprises four plates essentially oriented at right-angles to one another, a floor 23, a rear wall 24 and side walls 25; other models of the bay cladding 22 can differ from the one shown here by another characteristic of the walls, for example a semicylindrical rear wall instead of a flat one, a greater or lesser inclination of the rear wall, etc. The choice of the material for the bay cladding 22 can differ for each model line; when the bay cladding 22 is manufactured using injection molding, plastics in different colors can be used depending on the model line or different surface textures can be molded. However, it is also conceivable for the bay cladding, in particular for a high-grade model line, to be manufactured from stainless steel sheet. With a bay cladding 22 made of plastic all or individual walls can furthermore be covered with a metal foil or a foil made of metalized plastic, in order to give the bay cladding 22 a metallic look-and-feel.

The bay cladding 22 is here anchored in a form-fit manner, in that spring tabs 26 distributed along the front edges of floor 23 and side walls 25 are latched into cutouts 27 on the floor 5 and the side walls 23 of the housing 1.

FIG. 6 further shows in section an actuating paddle 28, which is provided for plugging onto the actuating section 12 of the switch 10. The actuating paddle 28 can be a different shape depending on the model line; different materials, in particular in each case the same materials as for the bay cladding 22, can also in each case be used for the actuating paddle 28.

The passage for ice 7 is provided with a threaded section 29 on its rear end, in order to screw a tubular, downward tapering nozzle 30 thereon, which serves to guide pieces of ice dispensed via the passage for ice 7 on their way into a container placed in the bay and to prevent the liquid contents of the container from splashing. Whereas the threaded section 29 is concealed out of sight of the user behind the frame 3, the nozzle 30 can be long enough to become visible. To impart a different character to different model lines, it is hence also useful to provide different models of the nozzle 30, which can differ in the choice of material and color or in the external design.

In FIG. 7 a shutter 31 is added as a further decorative element, extending over the whole width of the open front, from one side wall of the housing 1 to the opposite one. The shutter 31 is here plugged onto the lower edge of a limb of the frame 3 which covers the front edge of the lamp unit 15. The shutter 31 can also be manufactured from different materials or be colored differently, depending on the model line in which it is used. A milky transparent material can also be considered here, which allows the shutter 31 to be illuminated when the LEDs 18 of the lamp unit 15 are switched on.

A drip tray 32 should be present on the floor 23 of the bay cladding 22, to ensure that drips from the passage for ice 7 or the water line 8 do not flow out of the dispenser bay and that nevertheless a container can be placed dry in the dispenser bay. The drip tray 32 and its cover 33 can in turn consist of different materials or be differently colored, depending on the model line.

REFERENCE CHARACTERS

-   1 Main subassembly -   2 Housing -   3 Frame -   4 Ceiling -   5 Floor -   6 Side wall -   7 Passage for ice -   8 Water line -   9 Outlet -   10 Switch -   11 Plug-in connector -   12 Actuation section -   13 Rear wall -   14 Dispenser bay -   15 Lamp unit -   16 Baseplate -   17 Cutout -   18 LED -   19 Shade -   20 Fin -   21 Contact pin -   22 Bay cladding -   23 Floor -   24 Rear wall -   25 Side wall -   26 Spring tab -   27 Actuating paddle -   28 Actuating paddle -   29 Threaded section -   30 Nozzle -   31 Shutter -   32 Drip tray -   33 Cover 

1-9. (canceled)
 10. An ice-and-water dispenser for integration into a refrigeration appliance, the ice-and-water dispenser comprising: a main subassembly including a dispenser bay, at least one of a passage for ice or a water outlet, and a switch to be actuated by an object held in said dispenser bay; and at least one decorative element configured to be mounted on said main subassembly in different models of the refrigeration appliance and contributing to an appearance of the ice-and-water dispenser in a mounted state.
 11. The ice-and-water dispenser according to claim 10, wherein said at least one decorative element is detachably mounted on said main subassembly.
 12. The ice-and-water dispenser according to claim 10, wherein said at least one decorative element is a drip tray or a drip tray cover.
 13. The ice-and-water dispenser according to claim 10, wherein said at least one decorative element is an actuating paddle coupled to said switch.
 14. The ice-and-water dispenser according to claim 13, wherein said switch includes an actuating extension engaging into said dispenser bay, and said actuating paddle is joined to said actuating extension.
 15. The ice-and-water dispenser according to claim 10, wherein said at least one decorative element is an outlet nozzle of said passage for ice.
 16. The ice-and-water dispenser according to claim 10, wherein said at least one decorative element forms an interior wall surface of said dispenser bay.
 17. The ice-and-water dispenser according to claim 10, wherein said dispenser bay has an inlet, and said at least one decorative element is a lamp unit or a shade or a shutter to be mounted at said inlet of said dispenser bay.
 18. A refrigeration appliance, comprising an ice-and-water dispenser according to claim
 10. 